Welcome Home Present
by Klutzygirl33
Summary: Set post "Past, Present, and Future". Tony has a surprise waiting for him when he gets home. Tony/Ziva


**I don't own NCIS and never will. No copyright infringement intended.**

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Tony was exhausted by the time he made it back home. He had been gone for months and all he wanted to do was sleep (and try his best to not think about Ziva) in his own bed, but Gibbs had ordered him to come in to work. So he reluctantly headed in, waiting to get sent out on a job he really didn't feel like solving.

However, to his surprise when he walked into the bullpen, she was there. Tony froze and stared at Ziva for a few seconds before she smiled at him and then bolted in his direction. He opened his arms and she fit right in. Quickly recovering, he pulled away just a little so he could kiss her. They both melted into it and would have kept going if Gibbs hadn't cleared his throat. Tony sighed and just drew her in for a hug. "Sorry, boss. And I'm glad to see you, Ziva, but what are you doing here?"

"It wasn't until after you got on the plane that I realized you were right. I can't run from my past. And I don't want to do this alone. Also, Gibbs can be very convincing when he wants to be, even when he is not speaking." She shrugged and then leaded into him.

"You are too, you know that?"

Ziva stared at him in confusion. "I am what?"

Tony smiled at her. "Loved. I should have said it before, but walking away from you was the hardest thing I ever had to do. And I don't want either of us to run again. It's not happening." He would track her down again if he had to and she knew it, but he figured he'd still make sure she was aware.

"I know. I have for a while now and I know you knew about my feelings for you. But let's say it for real – I love you, Anthony DiNozzo."

He laughed. "And I love you too, Ziva David." Caught up in the moment, the two began to kiss. When Tony and Ziva realized their audience was staring at them because some were kissing and others were cat-calling (he was going to kill McGee for that later) that they grudgingly stopped.

"Probably shouldn't be doing this here," she murmured as Abby squealed and hugged both of them.

"I'm so happy that you two finally decided to go for this. Took you long enough." She literally skipped away as she headed back downstairs.

"So how long were you lying to me, DiNozzo?" Gibbs was curious.

Tony nervously laughed. "I was only with her for a few days. Sorry about the lying, but I felt like I had to. I thought I had to convince her on my own, but obviously that wasn't the case." He hoped his boss wasn't too angry with him.

Fortunately for them, Gibbs was more amused than angry. "Go home, you two. Don't come back until Monday."

Ziva hesitated. "I'm not sure if I will be returning on Monday, Gibbs. I don't know if I want to do this anymore." She looked down, but he picked her chin up.

"Ziver, don't. Whatever you decide will be fine with me. You think it over all weekend. We'll accept you if you want to come back and we won't be upset if you go in another direction. You're back – that's what matters." He patted her on the shoulder.

McGee and Gibbs watched as Tony and Ziva walked out hand in hand. "You are aware you just sent them home to have sex all weekend, right?"

Gibbs rolled his eyes (a decision he immediately regretted). "I know that, McGee! Don't put that image in my head."

McGee laughed and returned to his desk, ready to get back to work. He was glad things were back to normal, even if Ziva decided not to come back in on Monday. And he was glad Tony and Ziva had finally admitted the truth to themselves. This had definitely been a long time coming. He hated that it had taken Ziva disappearing for everything to come out, however, but wasn't going to mention that fact to them. Tony would most likely kick his ass for that.

Tony held Ziva's hand on the way home (they were grateful there was no other car to stop them this time) and the trip seemed longer than usual. They had slept together after their talk in the orchard, but this time (the whole weekend, really) was going to be different. This time, they wouldn't be worrying about one of them leaving. Plus, their feelings were all out in the open now (they still needed to have a long talk) and they could make love instead of just having sex. They couldn't wait.

When they finally got to Tony's apartment – now fixed after the summer attack – they made their way into the bedroom. When the two could no longer put off eating, Tony and Ziva temporarily left his bedroom. He called for a pizza since pretty much everything he had was past the expiration date.

Ziva went to say something a few times, but kept stopping herself. Tony had finally had enough and sighed. "What is it?"

"I've made up my mind. I want to be back home, here with you, but I cannot work at NCIS anymore. I want to work on my new list with your help. But I suppose the main reason I came home?" Tears welled up in her eyes and she had to take a deep breath before continuing. "It's because I guess I can't live without you."

He smiled at his words being repeated. "I'm glad to hear you say that. And while we're working on your new list, we'll work on your old one, too. You'll get that boy and girl, Ziva. I'll make sure of it. But I look forward to the practice in the meantime."

She rolled her eyes and tried to stifle her laugh. "I look forward to the practice, too." Ziva gasped when he took out her necklace.

"I figured you might want this back."

Ziva shook her head. "It's yours now. I gave it to you for a reason. Keep it for me, please."

Tony was a little surprised by that, but not as much as he had been earlier. "I'll keep it safe," he promised. He wasn't about to let anything happen to it, especially since Ziva seemed to trust the necklace with him.

Ziva was the best welcome home present he had ever gotten. And now they were going to make up for the eight years they had wasted. Both of them were also the happiest they had been in a long time.


End file.
